


Three Times Nate Walked Away (and One Time He Didn't)

by misura



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 09:20:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16365131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: [what it says on the tin]





	Three Times Nate Walked Away (and One Time He Didn't)

.01

He's not sure what to expect - he's braced for recriminations, questions, stuff like, _'what the hell were the two of you even fighting about?'_ (answer: he doesn't know, something stupid), and _'what am I going to do with a Ranger who drives his partner to nearly kill himself?'_ (most likely answer: kick him out of the program) and _'I trusted you to be a good partner for my son'_ (no real answer to that one, other than _'yes, sir'_ ).

Jake's probably going to live. That's something, at least. That's maybe the most important thing, or it should be, given that for now, at least, he's still Nate's Drifting partner.

(It doesn't feel like it's the most important thing. Any other time, Nate would have traded his own life for Jake's in a heartbeat, but not now, not like this.)

The Marshal looks up as he walks in, face unreadable. _Bad sign,_ a voice that sounds like Jake's says. _Really bad sign._

"Ranger Lambert," Pentecost says (only one Pentecost on this base; Jake's Jake).

Nate salutes, while he still has the right to do so.

"Try-outs for your new partner to commence at 1400, day after tomorrow. That is all."

Nate salutes again, mostly because he's not sure what's going to come out of his mouth once he starts talking. He doesn't look back as he walks out of the room. He's never going to have Jake in his head again; he doesn't need the memory.

 

.02

"Good news, I'm out of the program," Jake says. He can talk and wriggle his toes and use a tablet, which means he's going to be just fine.

Nate grabs a chair. "What's the bad news?"

"You're short a partner," Jake says.

Nate shrugs. "They'll find someone." He's not Raleigh Becket, to go and save the world with a Pentecost after having lost his first one. That's okay, though.

"Won't be as good as me," Jake says, and for one single moment, Nate wants to hit him or at least yell at him some more. "But yeah. Guess they will."

A little bit of feeling, of emotion is all right, to take with you into the Drift. With Jake, there's always been too much, though.

"You going to be all right?" Nate asks. It feels like the least he can say, even if he has no idea what he's going to do if Jake says _'no'_. If Jake says, ' _please come with me to talk my father into giving me one more chance'_. (A lie: he knows perfectly well what he's going to say.)

"I'm going to be better than all right. Trust me," Jake says. Nate can't tell if he's lying or not. "You?"

"Be nice having a partner who can actually stay out of trouble for more than a week," Nate says. Like most of his jokes, he feels it falls a bit short of where he wanted it to go.

Jake grins anyway. "See? Best thing that could've happened to both of us. Now get out of here. There's a pretty medic coming by in about five minutes. Don't want you to distract her with your stupid face."

 

.03

Nate wonders if there's a name for having a whole bunch of memories that feel like yours even though logically, you know they aren't.

Mako - Secretary Mori smiles at him. "You and Jake were very close, were you not?"

" 'Were' being the operative word in that sentence." He's not sure what's going on. Jake having managed to have gotten himself arrested or something seems most likely.

"He is not a bad person," Mako says. "Only very stubborn. Very - how do you say?"

Nate doesn't believe for a moment that her English isn't every bit as good as his own. "Irresponsible?" he suggests, because 'stupid' ony fits Jake about 50% of the time.

Mako inclines her head. She's a busy woman, a living legend. His sister. Not his sister. "I was thinking that perhaps if you spoke with him, he might listen."

"I don't think so," Nate says.

"Will you try? As a - a favor. To me _and_ to Jake. I feel that perhaps you are underestimating yourself. You and Jake, you were partners. It is a very strong bond."

Nate likes his new partner. Burke's solid, a good Ranger. If there aren't a lot of highs, moments when he feels that together, there's nothing they couldn't do, then a least there aren't a lot of lows, either. There aren't any screaming arguments, no hurt-resentment-sulkiness when he slips into the Drift.

There isn't any love-trust-lust, either, though Nate's sure they trust one another. No late night conversations over beer and ice cream (which is a terrible combination). No hugs, though Jake would've been the first to point out how Nate's very much not a hugger. No sex.

"I'm sorry," Nate says.

Mako rises. "I am sorry also, if my visit brought back bad memories. Thank you for considering my request."

Nate feels awkward, even if he knows he's right. Jake's never listened to him even when they were partners. There's no chance whatsoever he's going to start now, when Nate's not even his partner anymore.

 

.01

"You hear this story about how I saved the world yet?" Jake asks. His eyes are a little too bright, but then, it's a night (morning, possibly) of celebration.

"Way I heard it, you had some help," Nate says. He's fresh out of med bay, with strict instructions to go to bed and get some more rest sooner rather than later.

"Well, you did what you could," Jake says generously. "Should've stuck around for the final bit, though. You missed out, big time."

Nate shrugs. "Job got done, didn't it?" He's proud of Amara - proud of all of them. Even Jake. Even himself.

"By me, yeah," Jake says. "Picking up the slack as usual."

"And here I was going to congratulate you."

"Aw, don't be like that," Jake says. "You did good. I said that already, didn't I? You, Nate Lambert, are a good pilot, a good man. Pretty good in the sack, too, not that I'd ever say that out loud. Not as good as me, of course, but still. Nothing to be ashamed of."

Nate sighs. "Just how drunk are you?"

"Why? You want to try out one of your cheesy pick-up lines on me?" Jake asks. " 'cause in that case, the answer's always and forever going to be: not drunk enough."

"Doc says I need to stay in bed for at least the next eight hours or so," Nate says.

"Super-cheesy," Jake says. "Seriously, man. Playing the wounded-war-hero card? Look at me. Saved the world, pretty much single-handedly. Won't catch _me_ whining about needing to stay in bed or something."

Nate says nothing. He could walk away, he knows, and maybe Jake would follow.

And maybe he wouldn't.

"Eight hours, huh?" Jake says.

"Give or take a few."

Jake sighs. "Fine. Guess this party's about done, anyway."


End file.
